What do you do when your windscreen mists up? Desperately turn every knob on your dashboard, hoping for a miracle? Wipe the glass with your sleeve? Open the windows slightly? These are usually our first reactions when we’re faced with a foggy windscreen which needs to be sorted out before it becomes a safety hazard – but none of them really does the job properly. The good news is that there are far better solutions which actually WORK – the trick is to remember what to do in the rising panic that often accompanies a misty windscreen! Let’s look at what causes a windscreen to mist up in the first place. Contrary to what most people believe, foggy glass isn’t caused by the cold air outside but rather by your body warmth and your breath heating up the air inside the car, causing water vapour in the atmosphere. When this moist air comes into contact with your windscreen, it cools and condenses, forming a mist. The trick is to reduce the amount of water vapour in the car as quickly as possible and there are a few ways you can do this. (There are also a few things that you shouldn’t do, which we’ll go into later).
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Let the air in.
You’ll need to be brave on this one, and open the windows fully. It might have you wincing at the icy blast, but it’s a good way to get a strong airflow through the cabin to help prevent warm, moist air from condensing on the windscreen.
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Use your airconditioner
If you use your airconditioner in conjunction with the heater, you’ll be amazed at how quickly the foggy windscreen will disappear. Aircons are designed to remove water vapour from the cabin to lower the temperature, so they’re just as effective in keeping you cool on hot days as it they are at demisting windscreens in winter. Turn the heat up slowly at the same time and you’ll have an even more effective combination because the hot, dry air will dry the glass and draw and absorb water from your windscreen.
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Turn off the air re-circulation.
Fresh cold air from the outside won’t contain much water vapour so it’s best to turn off the ‘air recycling’ function.
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Get to know your car’s climate control system
Most cars have some sort of climate control system which will automatically adjust the ventilation and heating levels to get the best results. Get to know where the buttons are, so you can hit them when you need them in a hurry! That’s what you should do when you want to demist your windscreen quickly – but here are a couple of things that you shouldn’t do!
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Don’t wipe the glass with your sleeve
Getting up close and personal with your foggy glass to wipe it with the back of your hand or your sleeve can compound the problem, not solve it. The closer you get to the windscreen, the more your warm, moist breath will condense on the windscreen.
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Don’t drive with foggy glass!
A misty windscreen is a safety hazard because it impairs your vision (and the same applies to side and rear windows as well as side mirrors). Don’t be tempted to pull away before you’ve properly cleared the glass and are confident that it won’t mist up again in a hurry. If in doubt, why not ask the windscreen experts? A company like Autoscreens which has been doing professional windscreen replacements and windscreen repairs in Perth for over 20 years has all the answers to any windscreen-related question from what do about cracked glass to how to demist a windscreen in a hurry – so give them a call on 0400 200 086. Contact Autoscreens now.
Jason Squire started Autoscreens in 2010. With over 35 years of experience gained in both the UK and Australia, the company is well established as a leading provider of windscreen replacement and autoglass repairs in Perth.
His journey to becoming a certified repairer license holder status with DMIRS (and business repair license MRB3703) began many years ago. He was born and brought up in the UK – the country where his long career in the automotive industry began. In common with many of the world’s best tradespeople it all started with an apprenticeship. For Jason, this was in vehicle bodybuilding and a specialisation in vehicle conversions.
He followed that up with several additional professional qualifications, including a Grade A Vehicle Body Building Certificate from the Road Transport Industry, a GQA level 2 in NVQ Automotive Glazing and a Level 2 qualification in Joining Materials by Welding from the UK Engineer Training Authority.
During his studies, Jason was also a part-time volunteer in the Royals signals with the Reserve Territorial Army. Between 1991 and 1995, Jason completed his Phase One Signallers Course with the Royal Armoured Corps and was awarded a Certificate of Trade Proficiency as a Territorial Army Driver Electrician Class 3. Training exercises took him all over Europe. He also represented the Signals in Rugby.
From there, he joined the armed forces on a full-time basis with the Queens Royal Lancers and continued to impress with his leadership skills and willingness to broaden his skillset, during which he lived in Germany. In 1996, he graduated from the Queens Royal Lancer Leadership Academy where he was named best recruit. His time with the Queens Royal Lancers he qualified as Tank Driver, Crew Medic and Gunner.
In 1999, Jason left the armed forces to join RAC Auto Windscreens. His skillset enabled him to fast-track his career to base supervisor and lead technician working with premiere dealerships in Crewe, Cheshire.
He also continued to volunteer in a number of different areas, including as a first responder with the West Midlands Ambulance Service and a scout leader with the Scout Association.
He relocated to Australia in 2008 with his young family and spent his first two years down under as a head technician for a national windscreen company.
However, with all his experience, extensive qualifications and his abiding passion for the automotive industry, it was inevitable that he would start his own company and make his mark as an industry leader.
He started Autoscreens in 2010 and has grown the business into the leading windscreen repair and replacement company in Perth, servicing both domestic and commercial customers. Autoscreens has a certified Motor Vehicle Repairers Licence MRB3703 issued by the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.